Kingfisher partners with RWS and makes significant savings on localization in core languages
A strategic blueprint points to a new direction
Kingfisher plc is an international home improvement company operating in eight countries across Europe. Kingfisher’s retail markets include B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix and Koçtaş. It offers home improvement products and services to consumers and trade professionals who shop in stores and via its e-commerce channels.
In 2016 Kingfisher’s Group Localization Team was formed. Prior to this, each retail market managed its own localization efforts. Without a translation memory (TM) and a translation management system (TMS) in place, localization was a manual process that was inefficient and prone to quality issues, such as inconsistent terminology and product communication.
To be more effective, Kingfisher needed to implement a technology-driven strategy and find a global partner who could grow with the Group over time. For Kingfisher, that partner was RWS.
Challenges
- Multiple retail markets managing their own localization
- Inefficient manual processes
- Translation technologies not used
- Inconsistent terminology introducing quality issues
Solution
- TM enables reuse of previously translated content
- Trados Enterprise (TMS) and API connectors streamline workflows
- Quality programme created based on TAUS MQM framework
- Kalcium Quickterm centralizes terminology management
- Regular communication between Kingfisher in-country teams and RWS linguists
- RWS on-site project manager oversees workflow management
Results
- Significant cost savings from TM translation reuse
- Efficient and automated processes save time
- 99.9% translation quality scores for some languages over time
- Open and honest communication builds successful long-term partnership
Building upon what’s already in place
Thanks to Kingfisher’s multi-tiered approach, translation quality has significantly improved. Adopting the TAUS MQM framework in a client-specific quality evaluation, shifting to a proactive approach and encouraging regular communication between the in-country market teams and RWS’s linguists have increased translation quality scores to 99.9% for some languages over time.
The TM has also significantly improved cost-effectiveness. By reusing translations, Kingfisher has reduced inconsistencies and enabled the translation of a greater volume of content more efficiently and affordably.
“Kingfisher’s Offer and Sourcing strategy revolves around innovation, affordability, sustainability and efficiency,” says Matthew David. “RWS helps us align with that strategy through the enhancement of efficiency and innovation in our processes, technology and communication. Leveraging from the TM has saved us a significant amount of money, helping us with content affordability. This is a testament to our mature TM strategy and long partnership with RWS.”
Kingfisher’s team is proud of how far the localization programme has come. “We’ve gone from Excel spreadsheets to Trados Enterprise, Kalcium Quickterm and API to connect to Adobe Workfront,” says Diana Dampc, Localization Delivery Manager at Kingfisher. “These technologies have entirely transformed how we work today.”
Internally, the team has become a centre of excellence and serves as the single point of contact for localization at Kingfisher. With a growing demand for localization, Kingfisher looks forward to leveraging RWS’s expertise further and exploring new innovations, such as AI.
The team all agree that the relationships that have been built over the years are the most important part of their success.
“The best part for us is the partnership and collaboration we’ve experienced with RWS,” says Matthew David. “What has made our teams so close is the open and honest communication—this is key to a successful, long-lasting partnership.”
